Home of World Athletics

The 2013-2016 IAAF Strategic Plan has six Core Values: universality, leadership, unity, excellence, integrity and solidarity, and a Vision Statement: “To lead, govern and develop the sport of athletics in all its forms worldwide, uniting the Athletics Family in a spirit of excellence, integrity and solidarity.”

Home of World Athletics

The final of the men's 3000 metres

After two seasons of inactivity indoors, Hicham El
Guerrouj capped his brief return to the roofed stadium circuit with a splendid win in the
3000 metres, holding off an exciting challenge from his former countryman, Mohammed
Mourhit of Belgium.

El Guerrouj's winning time was 7:37.74, as Mourhit
clocked 7:38.94 for a new Belgian national record.

The Moroccan used others as pacemakers for more than half
the race, taking the lead only at the 1950-meter mark. But that was where he also tossed
in a 28.0 lap to shake away all but the most resolute challengers, as he passed the
two-kilometer mark in 5:12.98.

At this moment, the scenario behind El Guerrouj found
Sydney 5000-metre champion Million Wolde of Ethiopia leading Mourhit and Spain's Alberto
Garcia as the chase for the medals began. Within a lap, Wolde began to drop back, turning
it into a three-man race.

El Guerrouj wasn't able to forge a lead of more than ten
metres during the last kilometer, as Mourhit chewed up all but one or two metres of the
difference.

At this point, it had all of the trappings of an
intra-Moroccan grudge match.

As the pair entered the final two laps, El Guerrouj
started to pull away with a 28.5 final circuit, and Mourhit did not respond, and Morocco
had its first gold medal of the weekend.

Running closely behind the lead pair, Garcia posted a
personal-best of 7:39.96 for the bronze medal.

Also in the final stages, El Guerrouj's erstwhile
training partner, John Mayock of Britain, was able to overtake the still-fading Wolde and
capture fourth place in 7:44.08, ahead of the Ethiopian's 7:44.54.

The Olympic bronze medallist in the 1500, Kenyan Bernard
Lagat, took sixth in 7:45.52, ahead of current European 3000 champion Mark Carroll of
Ireland, who registered a 7:46.79.